INSIDE Contactless’ eNFC technology will be involved in a pilot program that includes the Paris Metro System, Axalto, and a French cell phone company. Paris commuters will be able to use their NFC-enabled cell phones in place of their “Navigo” travel smart cards in the project that gets underway during the first half of 2006. (See an earlier Axalto announcement about this same trial.)

Aix en Provence – INSIDE Contactless announced that its Enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC) enabled PicoRead contactless reader IC has been chosen for a pilot project starting the first half of 2006 in the Paris Metro System. PicoRead will be integrated to provide the contactless interface between Bouygues Telecom’s cell phones and the devices giving access to the RATP’s, Paris Transport Authority network.

This new service will enable Bouygues Telecom to test the use of cell phones in ordinary everyday activities like taking public transports. Customers taking part in the pilot will be able to use their cell phones instead of their “Navigo” travel smart cards across the entire metro network. To go through ticket barriers in the metro or to board a bus, all they will have to do is wave their cell phone across an RATP card reader. Pilot customers will have the option of renewing their Navigo travel card on their cell phones in just a few clicks on the RATP’s I-mode site, a function that offers greater convenience and saves considerable time.

Several industry major players have partnered on this project. Axalto is developing a new SIM card which stores the user’s travel card details called Proximera. This new card uses Single-Wire Protocol technology allowing an interaction with INSIDE’s PicoRead component to communicate with the RATP’s contactless reader devices.

Bruno Charrat, Chief Technology Officer of INSIDE Contactless states: “We are very enthusiastic about this pilot because it is a great display of how NFC technology can be integrated in a cell phone and the excellent added value ISO 14443 B brings integrated to make this application work in ideal conditions!”

“We have decided to partner with INSIDE Contactless because their technical solution is compliant with all of the contactless standards,” added Cédric Collomb, director mobile communications at Axalto. “Furthermore, INSIDE Contactless integrates the Single-Wire Protocol into their chip, which was instrumental in our selection.”

During the first half of 2006, Bouygues Telecom’s customers will be able to test this new solution and use their handset as a travel pass. They will also be able to renew their travel cards online at any time from their mobile phone by connecting to the RATP server via an i-mode site, with the security guaranteed by both the SIM card and the specifications of the Navigo passes. Thanks to INSIDE’s technology expertise, even if the phone’s battery runs flat, the solution will still function enabling the end user to still access the metro gate.

“We selected Inside Contactless as it is today the only manufacturer which can provide the mobile contactless interface required for the services we are about to test. Inside’s eNFC component integrates ISO 14443 Type B standard, deployed by the RATP on its transport network. This component has two additional advantages: it implements an interface to communicate with Axalto’s SIM card that manages the users’ transport tickets ; it ensures that the service still works even when the phone battery is empty.”Benjamin Vigier, SIM Innovation and contactless technologies manager.

About INSIDE Contactless
INSIDE Contactless is the 2nd largest provider of 13.56 MHz contactless chips with an average growth of 61% over the past 2 years. Dedicated to the development of contactless technology, INSIDE provides open standard solutions (including NFC’s technology) and cost efficient products for secure transactions in Payment, ID and Access Control. Strategically located in France, China, Singapore and America, INSIDE works with a worldwide customer base and VARs. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.insidecontactless.com.

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